LAST night 25-year-old Khaya Mthethwa's dream of becoming a pop star came true when he was crowned winner of Idols SA.

For now, chasing his family's dream of gospel stardom for him will have to wait.

Yet, the Durbanite made his greatest fans - his family and entire church - proud with his victory over runner-up Melissa Alison, 23, from Port Elizabeth.

Khaya will start working on his album within weeks and his first single, Move, which he debuted in Sunday's Top 2 Spectacular, is already getting airplay.

But the pastor's son nearly didn't enter the competition.

His father, Pastor Themba Mthethwa of Durban, yesterday squashed the misconception that he did not want his son to enter Idols.

"It is because it was not part of his objectives for this year that we were reluctant," he said.

Khaya is part of his father's preaching team. Mthethwa said Khaya wrote and performed the first three songs on the Joyous Celebration 16 album. His brother Nqobile is a sound engineer and other family members are part of the Joyous choir.

Every year the highly religious Mthethwa family sit around a table and discuss their personal objectives, Khaya's father said.

"Khaya's objective this year was to record and release a gospel album with a DVD. Instead he took us by surprise when he said he wanted to enter Idols.

"He gave us a week to think about it. He said if I didn't want him to enter he would not pursue the topic."

But in the end he had the backing of his family and the church, with church members selling T-shirts to raise funds for airtime in order to vote for him.

"Win or lose, we are proud of him," Khaya's mother, Lulu, said yesterday.

"We thank South Africans regardless of race for putting him on the map.

"Idols gave him the platform to follow his dream and he has."

.